Normal, even when it feels alarming
- Pink-tinged saliva through tomorrow
- Cheek swelling that peaks on day two
- A dull ache when the numbness fades
- A small bruise on the cheek by day three
- Not much appetite today
Your recovery companion · after your extraction today
Tonight will be easier than you think.
Dr. Frey removed your tooth this afternoon. Your body already started healing on the drive home. This page walks you through the next two days, hour by hour, so nothing that happens surprises you. Keep it open on your nightstand.
Tonight
Right now. Keep gentle pressure on the gauze for another thirty minutes, then throw it away. A little oozing after that is normal – the pink tinge in your saliva looks like more than it is.
This evening. Cool water, lukewarm soup, yogurt, eggs – anything you do not have to chew on that side. Skip straws entirely tonight; the sucking motion can disturb the clot that is doing the healing. Same for smoking.
Pain. Take the ibuprofen before the numbness fades, then on schedule rather than waiting for the ache. Staying ahead of pain takes far less medicine than chasing it.
Sleeping. Add an extra pillow so your head stays a little raised. Put a towel on the pillowcase – a small spot of pink in the morning is common and harmless.
Tomorrow
Gentle salt-water rinses after meals – a teaspoon of salt in warm water, tipped through the mouth rather than swished hard. Soft food, the other side of your mouth. Some cheek swelling and a bruised feeling at its worst around day two is your body working, and it fades from there.
Call us – do not wait and wonder
- Bleeding that stays bright red and heavy an hour after fresh gauze
- Pain that gets sharply worse on day three instead of better
- Fever, or swelling that makes it hard to swallow
- The socket suddenly very painful and bad-tasting around day three or four
– during office hours Shelly answers. After hours, the message gives you Dr. Frey's emergency line. Calling at 2am with a worry is a correct use of that number.
The week ahead
The tenderness leaves before the week is out. The gum closes over in about two. We will look at the site at your follow-up and talk about what comes next for the space – no decisions needed until then.
You did well today. Rest.